How Much Can Be Dissolved? Chapter 6

Water: The Universal Solvent Water is often called the universal solvent. More substances are soluble in water than in almost any other solvent.

Saturated Solutions Question: Is there a limit to the amount of solute that can be dissolved in a solution? There is a limit to just how concentrated most solutions can become. A concentrated solution is a solution that contains a lot of solute for the amount of solvent. (Ex: A lot of sugar, not a lot of water)

Saturated Solutions The limit is reached when no amount of stirring can make more solute dissolve in the solvent. At this point, the solution is said to be saturated.

Saturated vs. Unsaturated A saturated solution is one in which no more solute will dissolve at a specific temperature. An unsaturated solution is one in which more of the solute could dissolve at the same temperature.

How the Particle Theory Explains Saturated Solutions How can the particle theory of matter explain saturated solutions? According to the particle theory, no more solid dissolves in a saturated solution because all of the water particles are already attracted to as many solute particles as they can be.

How the Particle Theory Explains Saturated Solutions Solubility refers to the mass (how much) of a solute that can dissolve in a specific amount of solvent to form a saturated solution (at a specific temperature). ?

Supersaturated Solutions It is possible to pass the saturation limit in some solutions. When we heat a solution, it is able to dissolve more solute than it would at room temperature. A solution that contains more solute than would normally dissolve at a certain temperature is called a supersaturated solution.

Example of Saturation Have you ever wondered what “dew point” means when you hear it on a weather report?

Example of Saturation Dew point is related to saturation. All air contains some dissolved water vapour. The dew point is the temperature at which the air is saturated with water vapour.

Example of Saturation If the air gets colder than the dew point, it will not be able to keep as much water vapour. The excess water that cannot stay dissolved will turn into droplets of rain, frost, or flakes of snow.